Photo: This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author and send me a message. This image is not in the public domain. Please respect the copyright protection. It may only be used according to the rules mentioned here. This specifically excludes use in social media, if applicable terms of the licenses listed here not appropriate. Please do not upload an updated image here without consultation with the Author. The author would like to make corrections only at his own source. This ensures that the changes are preserved.Please if you think that any changes should be required, please inform the author.Otherwise you can upload a new image with a new name. Please use one of the templates derivative or extract. · CC BY-SA 3.0Dotsero’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 39 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Dotsero at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dotsero’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dotsero’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Dotsero feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 142 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 13 and the first by October 3. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Shoshone, CO, 11 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower; frost dates and degree days from Glenwood Spgs #2, CO, 17 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dotsero’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 39 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Glenwood Spgs #2, CO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 75 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dotsero
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Glenwood Spgs #2, CO.
Living with Dotsero’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
142 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 13 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 1.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dotsero from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (66%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dotsero and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dotsero yet.
Climates most like Dotsero’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dotsero, CO | 10° | 87° | 13" | 39" |
| Sheridan, WY | 11° | 89° | 15" | 33" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
| Pierre, SD | 9° | 88° | 19" | 37" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Dotsero averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 56% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Dotsero compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dotsero’s place among Colorado’s.
Dotsero weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dotsero’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Glenwood Spgs #2, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 10° | 1.0" | 13.7" | 8 | 17° – 29° |
| February | 41° | 16° | 0.9" | 6.3" | 6 | 23° – 35° |
| March | 51° | 24° | 0.9" | 2.4" | 6 | 33° – 43° |
| April | 59° | 30° | 1.3" | 0.6" | 7 | 40° – 50° |
| May | 70° | 37° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 48° – 58° |
| June | 81° | 44° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 58° – 67° |
| July | 87° | 51° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 65° – 73° |
| August | 85° | 50° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 64° – 71° |
| September | 77° | 41° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 53° – 63° |
| October | 63° | 31° | 1.3" | 0.7" | 6 | 40° – 52° |
| November | 47° | 21° | 0.9" | 4.4" | 6 | 26° – 41° |
| December | 36° | 12° | 0.8" | 10.8" | 7 | 18° – 31° |
| Year | 61° | 30° | 13.0" | 38.9" | 75 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 41°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dotsero’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Dotsero’s center.
- Snow: Glenwood Spgs #2, CO.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Glenwood Spgs #2, CO, 17 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Shoshone, CO, 11 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Dotsero’s climate
What is the weather like in Dotsero?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 39 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dotsero in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 143 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Dotsero get?
About 39 inches in a normal winter at Glenwood Spgs #2, CO, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Dotsero?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 51°. About 44 days a year reach 90° (Glenwood Spgs #2, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Dotsero?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 13 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 142 frost-free days, at Glenwood Spgs #2, CO.
What growing zone is Dotsero in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dotsero?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Dotsero getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dotsero.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.